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Tag: Tony Ojobo

  • Ojobo seeks state of emergency in ICT

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) and President, African ICT Foundation (AFICTF), Tony Ojobo, has urged African leaders to declare a state of emergency in the information communication technology (ICT) sector to accelerate digital development across the continent.

    Ojobo, a former Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), spoke during the inauguration of the BoT of the foundation in Lagos, founded in 2009 to address Africa’s digital inclusion challenges.

    He unveiled a two-year digital inclusion development plan for the continent, targeting policy and infrastructure issues on Internet of Things (IoTs), Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.

    In his inaugural speech, he said Africa needed a declaration of emergency in  ICT development and innovation.

    According to him, in the next two years, the foundation will be involved in research and education by setting  policy agenda on technological innovations, ICT, trade and globalisation and clean energy.

    He said the Foundation will get Africa’s private sector support on critical industry issues that affect the growth of Africa’s economy while working with policymakers to develop and promote policies and ideas, capitalising on the tremendous economic and social benefits ICT provides for Africans.

  • NCC remits N49.7bn to FG in Q1

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it remitted N49.7 billion to the Federal Government in the first quarter of 2018.

    The NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Tony Ojobo,  said in a statement on Thursday that the remittance was in compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2007 (FRA 2007).

    He said the figure represented the “Payment on Account” in respect of operating surplus for period.

    “According to the FRA 2007, such payments are to be made every year after preparation of Audited Accounts.

    “However, the NCC has taken the initiative to be making payments on account as it generates revenue.

    “Section 22, Sub-section 1 of the Act states that notwithstanding the provisions of any written law governing the Corporation, each Corporation shall establish a general reserve fund and shall allocate thereto at the end of each financial year, one fifth of its operating surplus for the year.

    “Section 22, Sub section 2 of the Act is clear about this – the balance of the operating surplus shall be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Government not later than one month following the statutory deadline for publishing each Corporations Account,’’ he said.

    The NCC spokesman said that the funds remitted were besides “Spectrum Assignment fees which are remitted 100 per cent to the federal government in line with Section 17, Sub section 3 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA 2003).’’

    According to him, the section states that “the Commission shall pay all monies accruing from the sale of Spectrum under Part 1 of Chapter VIII into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CFR).”

    NAN

     

     

  • NCC seeks govs’ assistance on broadband penetration

    NCC seeks govs’ assistance on broadband penetration

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) has called on state governors to assist it in achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration target by 2018.

    The Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, made the call during an interview with newsmen in Lagos, on the sideline of the 2017 Dinner and Awards of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR ).

    Ojobo was awarded the “PR Personality of the year 2017” by NIPR.

    He said that the governors and their various agencies should assist by ensuring easy approval for Right of Way ( RoW ) for the deployment of infrastructure.

    According to him, the industry has challenges of deployment of base stations in the states because of the issue of the Internally Generated Revenue ( IGR ).

    “A lot of approvals are delayed, in terms of siting base stations in the states this year. We have had base stations shut down, we also have had issues with the Rights of Way.

    “There had been reluctance with the various agencies under various levels of government to give approval as quickly as possible for the deployment of infrastructure.

    “The Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has made a presentation at the Governors Forum on how these challenges are actually contributing to the poor quality of service, and that there is need for us to have pervasive rollout of base stations.

    “Pervasive base stations deployment can narrow the areas that don’t have coverage, so that the issue of access and broadband penetration target can be realised.

    “Unless we do that, we will keep having challenges in being able to meet with the government policy of 30 per cent by 2018,” he said.

    Read also: NCC gives out N17m to winners of tennis championship

    Ojobo said that by 2018, it was expected that the country would have 30 per cent broadband penetration, but some of the challenges were slowing down the process.

    “But we believe that in 2018, some of these challenges will be tackled, especially as governors are beginning to appreciate the importance of these infrastructure in their states.

    “We believe that these challenges will begin to fizzle out,” he said.

    On his award as the PR Personality of the year, Ojobo said it was a call to do more on his responsibilities.

    He said that NCC would continue to put what it was doing on the public space and improve on it.

    “We will make sure that we say it as it is all the time and also ensure that we take back the feedback we get from the people we serve, that is our stakeholders, to our management.

    “This is so that areas that need improvement will be improved upon, so that consumers and the generous stakeholders will be better for it.

    “I want to thank God for this award. It is humbling when you are recognised by your professional group for contributions to the professional practice of public relations in Nigeria.

    “I dedicate this award to God and to the Nigerian Communications Commission that has given me the platform to express, in terms of the ways I carry out my responsibilities,” he said.

    Ojobo said that NCC was regulating an industry that was very difficult, an industry that was serving about 153 million active subscribers.

    He said that the subscribers were utilising the services on a 24/7 basis, hence, there were always issues to talk about.

    According to him, the challenge has been how to talk to the people who are facing challenges because of the services they are receiving.

    “We can’t tell them there are no challenges, we can’t assume we have not seen that they have problems.

    “But what we have continued to do is to identify with the challenges they are going through in this industry.

    “We have also tried to communicate that the industry is a work in progress, we have not gotten to the place we should be.

    “The most challenging part of this job is when we are having issues in the industry and how to address those issues and still speak the truth to the people,” he said.

    Ojobo said that the commission had used all its platforms, both the social media platforms and the mainstream media in trying to communicate, to make the people know what it was doing.

    NAN

  • Digital trackable identity essential for curbing crimes – NCC

    Digital trackable identity essential for curbing crimes – NCC

    Mr Tony Ojobo, the Public Affairs Director of the Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ), has said that online trackable identity was essential to curb crimes in the country.

    Speaking at the Public Relations Directors’ Summit, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR ) on Monday in Lagos, Ojobo said that digital trackable identity would help to boost online businesses.

    He described trackable identity as the ability to identify an individual through some natural physiological features, as may be shown by photographs or marks and such other characteristics.

    According to him, ‘today, it is being more associated with the ability to identify a particular person in cyberspace, or in electronic devices which offers digital identification.

    “The scope of trackable identity is being widened within the digital world to include tracking objects with application of tags that could be linked to a mobile phone or other devices.

    “Advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have given a new definition and application to trackable identity.

    ”Therefore, trackable identity, in this context, could be called, digital identity,” he said.

    Ojobo said that identity had become a commodity, as people created data bases of identities to enable them target specific segments or define characteristics of such markets.

    He said that while traditional identification rely on passwords, PINs, smart cards, and the like, biometric identification using finger prints and iris scans were generally more reliable and secure.

    According to him, biometric identity is also more reliable in linking individuals to event and action, therefore preferred by security institutions in fighting crimes.

    He said that with that in mind, NCC initiated the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards in Nigeria in 2011, and was officially completed on June 30, 2013.

    “The major reason why the scheme was initiated was the result of the frequent use of phone services in committing crimes and the difficulty it posed to security agencies in solving such crimes.

    “It was full biometric registration, with fingerprints and digital photographs of the registrants taken at the point of registration.

    “It became the most reliable data base of Nigerian citizens given the number of subscribers in the network, which was more than 113 million then.

    “It is evident that the level of ICT development will invariably determine how secure the environment would be for business

    “Nigeria’s Internet subscription as at July 2017 is about 91.6 million, an indication that substantial number of trackable identities on the internet in Nigeria would be found on the mobile platforms,” Ojobo said.

    He said that Nigeria’s level of telecommunication growth had potentials to facilitate trackable identity and in turn contribute to ease of doing business.

    The director said that online shopping malls, online banking, online ticketing and reservations, online hotel bookings, which demanded secure trackable identity platforms were thriving in Nigeria.

    According to the NCC spokesman, telecommunication and ICT are indispensable to trackable identity and Nigeria’s advancements in these directions has created a good leverage for ease of doing business.

    NAN

  • NCC remits N133.4bn to Federation Account in two years

    NCC remits N133.4bn to Federation Account in two years

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) said it had remitted N133.4 billion to the consolidated revenue fund of the Federal Government between 2015 and 2017.

    This was contained in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo on Thursday in Lagos.

    Ojobo said that NCC’s primary role was not only to generate revenue for the government but to nurture and regulate the telecommunications industry.

    He said that the figures obtained from the commission showed impressive remittance of funds to the coffers of the consolidated revenue of the Federal Government, especially in the last two years.

    According to him, NCC’s last remittance to the consolidated revenue fund, which was on June 30, 2017, was N12.7 billion.

    “It came just less than 10 days after the NCC remitted the sum of N1.3 billion to the account,” he said.

    Ojobo explained that commission transferred N81 billion in 2016 comprising N35 billion transferred in March and N46 billion in December 2016 respectively.

    “In 2015 however, the commission remitted N23, 512,316,450 in October after paying N6, 856,182,132 in September of the same year.

    “It is noteworthy also that the quarterly contribution of telecommunications sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been consistently impressive in the last two years,” he said.

    NAN reports that recently, the Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta said that the sector contributed N1.549 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2017.

    It represented 6.68 per cent increase from the first quarter of the year contribution of N1.452 trillion.

    The National Bureau of Statistics report had confirmed that the telecommunications sector, during the second quarter of 2017, contributed 9.5 per cent to the GDP in contrast to 9.1 per cent contribution in the first quarter of the year.

    Similarly, Ojobo said that the nation’s quest for attainment of 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018, had received a major boost.

    He said the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development confirmed that Nigeria had achieved 21 per cent level of penetration, from less than 10 per cent two years earlier.

  • Etisalat quits Nigeria, gives three-week ultimatum for brand phase out

    Etisalat quits Nigeria, gives three-week ultimatum for brand phase out

    Etisalat has terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm and has given Etisalat Nigeria three weeks to phase out the brand in the country.

    The Abu Dhabi-owned telecommunications networks took the decision after it’s $1.7bn loan talks collapsed.

    Chief executive of Etisalat International, Hatem Dowidar said on Monday that the there was no need for the brand in Nigeria after the collapse of the loan talks.

    Nigerian regulators intervened last week to save Etisalat Nigeria from collapse after talks with its lenders to renegotiate a $1.2bn loan failed.

    Although Etisalat Nigeria in a statement issued three weeks ago claimed that it had repaid 42 percent of the loan.

    “As at today, we can categorically state that the outstanding loan sum to the consortium (of banks) stands at $227m and N113bn, a total of about $574m if the naira portion is converted to US Dollars. This, in essence, means almost half of the original loan of $1.2bn, has been repaid.

    “Etisalat continued to service the loan up until February 2017, when discussions with the banks regarding the repayment restructuring commenced,” Ibrahim Dikko, vice-president, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs of Etisalat Nigeria said.

    However, Etisalat International announced on Monday that it was pulling out as all UAE shareholders of the company have exited and left the board and management of the Nigerian brand.

    Dowidar said discussions were ongoing with Etisalat Nigeria to provide technical support, adding that it can use the brand for another three weeks before phasing it out.

    Nothing has been said about how this will affect the network and its integrity as million of Nigerians are subscribed to the network.

    In June, the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission assured that the network’s integrity would not be compromised amid the loan disagreements.

    Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo had said that the commission’s attention had been drawn to the planned takeover by the consortium of banks.

    Ojobo said that the regulatory body was aware of the indebtedness of Etisalat to the consortium.

    According to him, the NCC in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria, has mediated by holding several meetings with the banks, Etisalat and other stakeholders to find a solution.

    “Regrettably, these meetings did not yield the desired results.

    “The NCC wishes to reassure about 21 million Etisalat subscribers that it will do all within its regulatory power to ensure that Etisalat subscribers continue to enjoy the services provided by the operator.

    “The commission has taken proactive steps to cushion the impact of the takeover; this is without prejudice to the ongoing effort between Etisalat and the banks toward a negotiated settlement.

    “NCC wishes to reassure all stakeholders in the telecommunications sector, in particular, the subscribers on the Etisalat network, that it will ensure that the integrity of the network is not compromised.’’

     

  • NCC, CBN wade into Etisalat debt crisis

    NCC, CBN wade into Etisalat debt crisis

    In Order to find a resolution to the debt crisis troubling Etisalat Nigeria, a meeting between the officials of the company, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and a consortium of banks has reportedly been scheduled for today.

    According to NCC, the consortium of banks seeking to take over Etisalat Nigeria over the protracted $1.72 billion debt impasse must first cross some regulatory hurdles.

    Elsewhere, Reuters quoted an official of Etisalat Nigeria as saying that discussions with the group of Nigerian commercial lenders are ongoing to find a “non-disruptive” solution to the debt.

    The source further said that several meetings were ongoing at the NCC and the CBN after talks between about 10 Nigerian banks and Etisalat Nigeria broke down.

    The source also confirmed that part of the $1.2billion bank credit obtained by Etisalat Nigeria has been paid back since 2013 when the loans were first structured.

    Etisalat of the UAE, which currently holds 45% of Etisalat Nigeria announced at the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange this morning that attempts to stave off the company’s takeover has proved abortive and the lender banks are closing in to take over following default in loan facility agreements with the consortium of banks in Nigeria.

    Serkan Okandan, Chief Financial Officer of Etisalat Group, who issued the announcement by the UAE mobile phone group, and operators of the Etisalat Nigeria said that both parties have reached a deal to commence transfer of ownership to the banks by 5.00pm on Friday, June 23, 2017, a development that has since sparked concerns over the future of the mobile phone company.

    But Tony Ojobo, spokesman of the NCC drew the attention of the lender banks to the Section 38 and Sub section 1 of the NCA which spells out that, “The grant of a license shall be personal to the licensee and the license shall not be operated by, assigned, sublicensed or transferred to another party unless the prior written approval of the commission has been granted.”

    Ojobo, said that the lender-banks must take note of relevant provision of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 as well as relevant provisions of the laws guiding the transfer of licences issued operators by the telecoms regulator.

    According to the NCC, Sub-Section 2 of the same provision equally states that, “A licensee shall at all times comply by the terms and condition of the license and the provision of this act and its subsidiary legislation.”

    Ojobo, who said that NCC is aware of the indebtedness of Etisalat Nigeria to the consortium of banks says that the telecoms regulator and its banking counterpart, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), “mediated by holding several meetings with the banks, Etisalat and other stakeholders with a view to finding a resolution.”

    Despite the efforts of the two industry regulators of Federal Government, “regrettably these meetings did not yield the desired results”, he said.

    “The NCC wishes to reassure the over 21 million Etisalat subscribers that it will do all within its regulatory power to ensure that Etisalat subscribers continue to enjoy the services provided by the operator”, according to the telecoms regulator.

    According to Ojobo, “the Commission has taken proactive steps to cushion the impact of the takeover, this is without prejudice to the ongoing effort between Etisalat and the banks toward negotiated settlement.”

    “Whilst the banks and Etisalat are working at resolving the issues, the Commission wishes to assure subscribers that they will continue to enjoy the services provided by Etisalat”, Ojobo added.

    According to him, “in view of the recent development, NCC wishes to reassure all stakeholders in the telecommunications sector, in particular, the subscribers on the Etisalat Network that the Commission will ensure that the integrity of Etisalat Network is not compromised.”

  • Etisalat Takeover: NCC assures subscribers of network’s integrity

    Etisalat Takeover: NCC assures subscribers of network’s integrity

    Amid the move to takeover of Etisalat by a consortium of banks, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured subscribers that the network’s integrity would not compromised.

    The Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, said in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos that the commission’s attention had been drawn to the planned takeover by the consortium of banks.

    Ojobo said that the regulatory body was aware of the indebtedness of Etisalat to the consortium.

    According to him, the NCC in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has mediated by holding several meetings with the banks, Etisalat and other stakeholders to find a solution.

    “Regrettably, these meetings did not yield the desired results.

    “The NCC wishes to reassure about 21 million Etisalat subscribers that it will do all within its regulatory power to ensure that Etisalat subscribers continue to enjoy the services provided by the operator.

    “The commission has taken proactive steps to cushion the impact of the takeover; this is without prejudice to the ongoing effort between Etisalat and the banks toward a negotiated settlement.

    “NCC wishes to reassure all stakeholders in the telecommunications sector, in particular the subscribers on the Etisalat network, that it will ensure that the integrity of the network is not compromised.’’

    The statement said the commission had drawn the attention of the banks to provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 Section 38: Sub-sections 1 and 2.

    “Sub-section 1 says: the grant of a license shall be personal to the licensee.

    “The license shall not be operated by, assigned, sub-licensed or transferred to another party unless the prior written approval of the commission has been granted;

    “Sub-section 2 says: A licensee shall at all times comply by the terms and condition of the licence and the provision of this act and its subsidiary legislation,’’ it said.

    The director said that while the banks and Etisalat were working at resolving the issues, the commission assured that subscribers would continue to enjoy the services provided by the telecommunications company.

    In March, a consortium of 13 banks, both foreign and Nigerian, had wanted to take over the operations of Etisalat over a loan facility totalling 1.2 billion dollars, obtained in 2015.

    The banks said their attempt to recover the loan was due to the pressure from the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), demanding immediate cut down on the rate of non-performing loans.

    The NCC and CBN waded into the matter to ensure an amicable resolution of the issue.

    However, after three months of fruitless deliberations, the consortium of banks is finally taking over the telecommunications company.

  • CBN, NCC move to intervene in Etisalat loan issue

    CBN, NCC move to intervene in Etisalat loan issue

    The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) on Thursday said the Commission and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had moved to intervene in the Etisalat loan issue.

    The Director of Public Affairs of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo said this in a statement issued in Abuja.

    “After a meeting on Thursday afternoon in Abuja between the Executive Vice Chairman of  NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta and the CBN Governor,  Mr Godwin Emefiele and his team, a decision was reached to intervene in the loan issue between Etisalat Nigeria and a consortium of commercial banks.

    “The meeting which was held at the CBN in Abuja was convened by the financial regulator at the instance of NCC and the telecom regulator to further deliberate on how best to stop the attempt by the banks to take over Etisalat.

    “At the end of the meeting, the CBN agreed to invite Etisalat management and the banks to a meeting tomorrow, Friday, toward finding an amicable resolution,’’ he said.

    Ojobo said that the NCC as a regulator of the telecom industry had moved quickly to intervene earlier in the week by reaching out to the CBN because it was convinced of the negative impact such takeover move would have on the industry.

    He added that NCC was worried about the fate of the over 20 million Etisalat subscribers and the wrong signals this might send to potential investors in the Telecom industry.

    It was reported that on March 8, Etisalat was had been taken over by three banks because of its N541.8 billion debt.

    However, NAN correspondent spoke with the Head of Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Ms Oluseyi Osuntedo, dispelled the talk that banks had taken over the company.

    Osuntedo NAN in Lagos that discussions were still ongoing between the banks and the company.

    “Discussions are going on; nobody is taking up the company.

    “It is not true that we are being picketed, whoever gave the information is not telling the truth,” she said.

    A consortium of some foreign and Nigerian banks, including Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank and Zenith Bank, have been having a running battle with the mobile telephone operator, over a loan facility totalling 1.72 billion dollars (about N541.8 billion) obtained in 2015.

    The banks said their attempt to recover the loan by all means, was fuelled by the pressure from the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), demanding immediate cut down on the rate of their non-performing loans.
    .
    NCC appears not to be favourably disposed to the takeover proposal as it believed that Etisalat is not only a viable going concern, but also willing and able to negotiate the servicing of its loans.

    Etisalat is Nigeria’s fourth largest telecoms operator with about 21 million subscribers as at January 2017, according to the NCC.

    It commenced business in Nigeria in 2009. (NAN)